How To Texas is a recurring column offering step-by-step instructions on how to be Texan. We’ll guide you through the cultural traditions, customs, eccentricities, lifestyles, and activities you’ll find on your travels that make the state uniquely Texan.

DRINKS

How to Make a Cadillac Margarita

Elevate any cocktail hour with this boozier twist on the classic libation

By Erica Cheng

“The service was impeccable,” recalls Bobby Ortiz, once a frequenter of the fabled Cadillac Bar. He remembers the immaculate white tablecloths and “smartly dressed waiters” that refilled his drinks. As a teen, Ortiz would tell his parents some cockamamie story about sleeping over at someone’s house, then sneak out with his friends for a short drive across the Mexican border. They almost always began their nights at the Cadillac Bar, drinking cheap beers and whiskeys ahead of a night of clubbing. “They made us feel like little adults.”

Then called El Dorado, the Nuevo Laredo institution from Ortiz’s memory is a bonafide Texas legend. Though located in Mexico, the bar gained a reputation for serving travelers across the Rio Grande, even famed general Pancho Villa. Originally opened during America’s Prohibition Era as El Caballo Blanco, the bar evolved through different owners, concepts, and even names, eventually closing in 2010 due to rising cartel violence near the border.

In 1926, the bar was purchased by New Orleanian Achilles Mehault “Mayo” Bessan, who renamed it the Cadillac Bar, marking the restaurant’s most famous iteration. Adding Creole fare, like fried frog legs, to the restaurant’s menu, the Cadillac Bar grew popular for its robust cocktail menu open to Prohibition-repressed customers. Highlights included the Ramos Gin Fizz, a New Orleans classic, and the beloved Cadillac Margarita. 

Made with top shelf resposado tequila and orange liqueur float, the Cadillac Margarita became the boozier—and bougier—version of the classic libation. A branch of the Cadillac Bar opened in San Antonio in 1974, where Texan audiences devoured the signature margarita. The legend of the Cadillac Bar grew larger, with Texans associating the bar with Tex-Mex food, premium margaritas, and good vibes. 

Eventually, the bar’s name became more of a brand. The San Antonio location chugged on until 2020. But in Houston, another Cadillac Bar emerged along a bustling section of Interstate 10—the only remaining location in the state. 

Managed by former owner Ken Wells, the Cadillac Bar was a far cry from the Nuevo Laredo legend. “This used to be a ladies bar,” clarifies server Alycia Davenport. “There were bras and underwear hanging up in here!” Customers used to write on the walls, fellow server Robert Salgado says, with “Sharpies and everything.” 

In 1996, Wells sold the Cadillac Bar to Landry’s Inc, a restaurant conglomerate owned by billionaire Tilman Fertitta. Today, the Cadillac Bar offers more family friendly dining. The ceiling’s lingerie was removed, Sharpie graffiti cleaned up, and Tex-Mex classics, like sizzling fajita plates and en brochette shrimp, headlined the food menu. 

Despite the changes, the Cadillac Margarita remained. The cocktail, says general manager Darren Watson, is a best-seller, ordered by more than half of daily customers. Landry’s Inc. even solidified its importance by copyrighting the beverage’s name in 2007. Despite decades of change, the legacy of the Cadillac Margarita has remained, each sip a taste of Texas heritage.